


Five Ways to Lose Control

by Hamyheikki



Category: The Worst Witch (TV 2017)
Genre: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Established Relationship, F/F, Fluff, Hackle Summer Trope Challenge 2020, Pre-Relationship, five times trope
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-14
Updated: 2020-06-14
Packaged: 2021-03-04 00:13:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,714
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24724354
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hamyheikki/pseuds/Hamyheikki
Summary: Four times Hecate loses the control of her magic, and one time Ada does.
Relationships: Amelia Cackle | Ada Cackle/Hardbroom
Comments: 9
Kudos: 35
Collections: The Hackle Summer Trope Challenge





	Five Ways to Lose Control

**Author's Note:**

> God, I had such problems with this fic!  
> Firstly, I only remembered yesterday that I was supposed to write this (oops!), hence it was written in like a day.  
> And when I come to post it, ao3 wasn't working as intended, and I only now managed to get this up here.  
> Nevertheless, I hope you guys enjoy this! And if you spot ANY mistakes, do please point them out!  
> I am far too dead to go through all of this myself at the moment.  
> The prompt for this was "Five Times".

**I. For Fear**

“Again, Hecate! With some _focus_ this time, _if you please._ ”

Her head bowed low, Hecate could feel her muscles’ protest as she pushed herself up from the floor. “I... how am I to -”

“Just _stand up,_ fix your stance, and try again!”

With wobbly knees and hunched shoulders, the young witch straightened up, fingers curling into the thick fabric of her dress. “I- I’d like to know how to -”

“You have been given explanation for _three times_ already. You’re simply not putting it into practice!”

Another wave of force smashed against her, knocking her off balance and landing her back on the stone floor. The impact caused her ears to ring, and before she could regain her footing, the force circled around, picked up speed and slammed into her once more.

“Hecate Hardbroom! Do try and get your act together, will you?”

A simple act of breathing was stealing her concentration away. 

The room itself seemed to be spinning. 

“But I don’t know _how_ to -”

“You are _supposed_ to sense the charge of my magic, then _counter it_ by redirecting the force! How many times have we gone over this?” 

Yet another blow fell upon her. The surging spear of energy shot past her, spun on its route, and with gathered speed, buried itself deep into her side.

Through the flood of throbbing pain, she heard her instructor’s exaggerated huff.

“If you truly lack the skill to do as you’re told, then at least have the courtesy to _DODGE!”_

She knew a new one was coming. They wouldn’t stop coming, not before she got the hang of it. The mere thought of it brought up a surge of tears, little drops of them falling onto the hard ground beneath. _Hours and hours of this. It’s not going to end._

She could hear it blast through the air. Not sense it, no. But she did hear it coming. A new spike of suffering, heading her way and ready to repeat what had been done dozens of times already. There was no time to dodge it, no way for her to jump out of the way. It would just curl and hit regardless. _She didn’t know how to redirect such a thing!_

The whirling sound of it came close. The heat of energy racing towards her. It was right in front of her, coming in on the most straightforward path. Aiming for her chest. If she took that hit from head on, could she still stand up after it? There wouldn’t be time for counter-attack before the next one came. And the one after that. They’d pummel her to the ground, little by little. The pain would persist for days. 

She could feel the tears again.

And then... Something exploded.

The shockwave threw her backwards, but not as violently as the attacks she’d endured thus far. This one seemed almost... _tender,_ softly pushing her away from the impact. Without realising it, she’d squeezed her eyes shut, and opening them revealed a dome in a gentle shade of violet. It surrounded her completely. After a moment of stunned stillness, Hecate reached out and laid a finger lightly on the surface of it. Warm, and filled with a sense of such familiarity. Her own magic. A manifestation of her powers, calm and steady, holding her safe.

A shielding spell was not something she had ever been taught. In fact, she couldn’t recall ever even reading of the spells meant for protection. It had always been about taking an offense, from her parents’ demand. Redirect and attack. No need for shielding, do not let your opponent a chance to strike. But this... The magic was singing in her veins. It was thrilling, _exhilarating!_

Then, by hearing a single gasp from behind her, the shield around her shattered.

Slowly, Hecate turned around, looking over the pieces of cracked concrete and split stone lying between her and the frozen figure at the end of the hall.

The wide-eyed stare of her instructor made her stomach lurch. 

“... I believe we are done for the day.”

* * *

**II. For Nerves**

“Ms. Cackle, please meet Ms. Hardbroom. She will be joining to our staff at the beginning of the next semester as a potion mistress.”

Hecate could feel the stickiness of her own hands as she lifted one up to a greeting. She had been sweating the whole morning, waves of anxiousness coming and going while the hours ticked towards the meetup. Of course she was familiar with the Cackle’s Academy for Witches beforehand. With a few other selected competitors, Cackle’s was a rather well-known and respected name in the witching world. It was a school with long traditions, having earned an exceptional reputation not only because of the success of its former students, but for the fact that to this day, the academy was still run by the original Cackle bloodline. From what Hecate had heard, nowadays the acting headmistress was the third in line counting from the founder, Alma Cackle. And should the tradition keep its hold, the followers of hers would be her two daughters, Ada and Agatha Cackle. One of which was currently standing across from her, a gentle smile on her face. She couldn’t quite tell which one of the sisters this was. It was even harder to tell than from pictures.

As to _how_ a pair of twins was supposed to lead the school, Hecate had no idea. But given how generous the family had been by personally inviting her to their academy as a teacher, she felt it’d be considered rude to ask. More importantly, her meeting earlier that morning with the headmistress herself had proved that there wouldn’t be any need to pay much thought to the upcoming era of the twins. Alma was in a good shape for her age, and in no hurry to retire anytime soon.

Softly spoken words yanked Hecate back to the present.

“Well met, Ms. Hardbroom! Ada Cackle, very pleased to make your acquaintance. I’ve read a rather considerable amount of your publications.”

Ah, the older of the twins then. Hecate had heard rumors about the adventures of the younger of the two, Agatha, and to be honest, based on what she’d come to know she was more than a bit glad it was Ada who’d come to meet her at first. 

“Hecate Hardbroom. Well met.”

The woman who’d escorted Hecate across the castle in the first place had turned on her heels while they’d exchanged introductions, and was gone by the time Hecate thought to glance at her direction. The sudden realization that she was standing in a small classroom alone with her future boss made her chest tighten.

Luckily for her, Ada seemed more than happy to be the driving force of the meeting. Before Hecate had a chance to let her nerves truly get a hold of her, Ada had moved closer, offering another bright smile on her way. “It’s good to have some new blood added to the staff.” There was a playful spark in her eyes as she lowered her tone further. “Things are starting to get a bit stale around here, if I’m to be perfectly honest with you.”

If the mischievous twinkle following the words hadn’t already caught Hecate’s attention, the gentle hand reaching out for her most certainly did. Stunned in place, she merely watched as the hand came to rest upon her upper arm, the delicate touch sending spikes of energy up her spine. So when Ada’s head jolted up without any warning, her first instinct was to take a step away, breaking the contact.

It was then that she realized her own spine was not the only one at the receiving end of a energy waves.

Hecate felt the heat rising to cover her face. It became even more obvious when she glanced down at her hands, fingers curling in the air; sparks of magic were still lingering there, waiting for a chance to jump out again.

_How embarrassing._

She was just about to blurt out an apology when Ada’s chuckle caught her off-guard.

“Well then! Always an honor to meet a witch with enough power for it to spill over.” Under Hecate’s unblinking eyes, her future colleague simply brushed an errand strands of hair back behind her ear, unphased and unbothered.

The sly smirk directed at her deepened the blush to Hecate’s cheeks.

“Welcome to Cackle’s, Ms. Hardbroom.”

* * *

**III.** ** For Joy**

It was quite a sight, watching Hecate twirl around the small potion lab, taking everything in. Ada herself had opted on staying by the entrance, merely looking at her new member of staff who seemed to have completely forgotten Ada even existed at the moment. Not that she minded. She’d only came to know the younger witch a couple of weeks ago, and during those days, she hadn’t shown much of a reaction to... anything, really. There was some polite conversations to be had, some stiff attempts of humor every now and then, but Hecate tended to keep her distance. Which was understandable, of course. She was, after all, a new addition to the already established group of people. It was only natural for her to first observe and estimate her surroundings before jumping fully in.

It didn’t mean Ada wasn’t growing rather restless while they waited.

Under her gaze, Hecate had moved to the other edge of the room, eyeing at the row of fresh ingredients lying on the counter-top. As she leaned in for a closer look, Ada stepped through the doorway properly.

“I do hope you find all of this acceptable. We tried to match as much as we could to your personal specifications.”

Surprised, Hecate swirled around, eyebrow slightly lifted. “How would you know what my... ‘specifications’ would include?”

Ada smiled at that. “You’ve written quite a few articles in the past, my dear. Would it paint me in the worst possible light if I were to admit outright just how many of them I have read recently?”

Words of praise came to her naturally, and were most definitely justified. Ada had indeed devoured practically everything the woman had ever written in her attempt to form a some level of understanding between herself and the evasive potion master. Not to say they weren’t perfectly fine reading material in their own right. Hecate did know her field of research more thoroughly than any other published author. 

And if the said research could be used as a conversation starter in the future... Well, Ada was not one to toss away such opportunities. 

Hecate didn’t comment on her confession, but the light layer of blush confirmed the message being received and appreciated. Ada watched as her new colleague continued to walk across her classroom, touching instruments of interest with gentle care. After a while of silence, Ada’s eyes caught the small glimmer circulating around the path Hecate was taking. Strands of energy, with a purple hue, dancing between the bottles and vials. It could simply be a trick of a sun, and yet something about the shape of it convinced her otherwise.

Then she saw it. The way Hecate’s fingers, delicate and elegant, seemed to be... dragging the energy with them. Wherever she touched, the glow followed.

Unconscious magic. _Just like when they’d first met._

Ada’s train of thought came to a sudden stop when Hecate spoke out from behind her. There was a minor tremor in her voice and as Ada turned to face her, she saw the nearly masked look of disbelief flash over the other woman. 

“Is this all... just for me to use?” she asked, her fingers remaining on the polished wooden table.

Ada shrugged, bemused. “Why yes, of course. You _are_ our potion mistress after all. And potion mistresses usually have their own lab, wouldn’t you agree?”

She would, Ada could see it. There was a shimmer of satisfaction in those dark eyes, no matter how quickly Hecate tried to stomp it down. A tiny smirk, barely noticeable, followed in suit.

As Hecate turned back to her jars, the soft smile still in place, Ada felt a tug in her chest.

_It’s no less than you deserve._

* * *

**IV.** **For Love**

“We should do something about the garden.”

As they walked through an old stone archway deeper into the slightly feral growth of the school yard, Ada reached out to slip her arm through Hecate’s. “Whatever do you mean, darling?”

“It is a waste of a perfectly usable space, Ada.” Gingerly lifting up the helm of her dress, Hecate stepped over a root sticking out from the ground. “I see little point in maintaining a flower garden if the damn things won’t even bloom.”

Ada let her gaze roam over the bushes surrounding them. “You need to give them some time, that’s all. I’m sure by the end of the month, they’ll be in their prime.”

Hecate rolled her eyes and stepped over yet another root. “Optimistic as ever, I see.”

A hushed chuckle slipped out before Ada could suppress it. “Someone has to be.” 

Side by side, they strolled past a small fountain, few plantings of sunflowers and a birdhouse build by a group of students years ago. There were paths, formed by countless set of feet, the grass bent permanently under the wear. The garden had been a part of the castle’s grounds for decades. Ada could remember spending hours within its shelter during her youth, and to this day, the scent of fresh air and greenery put her mind at ease. Carefully, she glanced up at the woman beside her. She saw the way Hecate was taking note of the different plants, flowers and trees around them. 

“Is there a particular reason you feel so eager to modify the gardens now, my dear?” she asked as they came across a bench placed under an ancient apple tree. With a simple hand gesture, Ada motioned towards the seat, and they both sat down with a sigh.

“... Perhaps I’m just growing restless in my old age,” Hecate finally answered before pressing her fingers against her temple. “Isn’t that what old witches do? Turn to nature for activities?”

Such a sentence, delivered with a familiar level of sarcasm, brought out Ada’s laughter for the second time. “Oh, if _that’s_ the case, I’m sure I could think of something else for you to focus your mind on.”

“Indeed?” A sly smirk had found its way on Hecate’s face as well. “And what might it include, precisely?”

Winking, Ada leaned up to plant a light kiss onto her lover’s cheek. “Hmm, some things are better left to be discussed in a more... private setting.” She ran a slow hand over Hecate’s trembling knee. “A very wise witch taught me so.”

“You are a terrible tease, did you know that?” Hecate said, smiling as she returned the gesture.

Ada merely grinned, placing herself more tightly on Hecate’s side. “You make it quite effortless, dear.”

They sat a while in silence, enjoying the calm summer evening. The sun still held its grounds against the looming night, and over the quiet whirl of wind, one could hear the melodic chirping of birds in the nearby trees. It was all very comforting, and perhaps a bit too much of a nostalgia dose for Ada.

She leaned her head to Hecate’s shoulder, and closed her eyes. “What do you see here, in the place of the garden, that you’d like to create?”

Hecate’s warm hand slipped into hers. “A herb patch, maybe. Something practical.”

“Does it need to be practical? Isn’t it enough for it to be simply beautiful to look at?”

“Beauty is fleeing.”

The grip Ada had on Hecate’s hand tightened. 

“All the more reason to appreciate it while it lasts.”

After a few minutes, Hecate sighed again, and landed a tender kiss on Ada’s lips. “Sorry, I am whining like a spoiled school girl.” 

Ada leaned into the kiss with ease, returning it. “No need to apologize. These things are always up for discussion, and I appreciate it when you bring them up. Although I’d very much like to keep my roses.” She fell into her thoughts for a moment, before going on, “We could always set up a greenhouse near the broom shed. Maybe even make it a project for the graduating class.”

Hecate glanced down at her. “You’re certain it wouldn’t pose an issue?”

Leaning back, Ada shrugged. “I don’t see how it possibly could, if you’re guiding the project.” She turned slightly, locking her eyes with Hecate’s. “I mean it, Hecate. If this is something you’d like to take under your care, there is no reason to refuse.”

Hecate’s expression softened. A small smile tugged at the corners of her mouth as she planted her second kiss of the day on Ada’s nose. “Sometimes I wonder what in the world did I do in my past life to deserve you in this one.”

Nearly straining her neck in the prosess, Ada came to place her own on Hecate’s forehead. “The feeling is more than mutual, dearest.”

They sat in the shade of the tree for half an hour more. The air around them turned a bit colder when the minutes ticked on, and the birds they’d heard earlier had fallen silent a while back. It was blissfully still for a change. No sounds of students, no constant hassle. Just the two of them, side by side, in peace. 

Sadly, they couldn’t stay there for the whole duration of the night. As they finally stood up, Hecate ran a single finger along the bud of one of the roses. “Perhaps some day I shall understand your fixation with these things.”

Ada chuckled while linking her arm with Hecate’s free hand. “Just wait and see, we’ll make you into a florist yet.”

“You’re being ridiculous,” Hecate muttered, playfully rolling her eyes. She set her own hand over Ada’s, and they began their walk back towards the academy.

Should they’d taken a single glance over their shoulders, they’d seen the flutter of pedals as the roses, one by one, emerged from their buds. The sweet scent spread across the sun-bathed garden, and mixing up with the final rays of the sun was a twirl of a violet glimmer.

* * *

**V. For Rage**

The tension in the teachers’ lounge was thick enough to be cut with a knife. Near the fireplace, Dimitry and Gwen stood side by side, while Algernon had stayed by the main door, blocking any possible try from students to enter. And in the middle of all of them stood three figures, two facing each other head on, barely an inch between them, and one standing guard slightly further back. 

“You are not listening, Ada! But then again, _you never did!”_

“I have heard your words many times already, Agatha! It just happens that you have a horrible tendency to repeat yourself!”

“Always taking a higher ground, aren’t we sister? Mother’s little spoiled brat -”

_“Do kindly mind your manners!”_

_“Would like to see you make me!”_

From her place behind Ada’s shoulder, Hecate could see the sparks of anger simmer in Agatha’s gaze. The woman had waltzed into the building not an hour ago, and already the room had turned into a battlefield. She hadn’t expected anything less, this was Agatha after all, but even for her, the scale of this particular outburst was rapidly reaching its peak. 

As she glanced to Ada, she noticed the way her lover had tensed up, posture stiff and face pale. A rare sight. Ada was usually more than able to maintain her composure around Agatha. But it seemed as though this time her sister had came in practically looking for a fight, taunting and gleeful far past her typical limit.

Uncertainly, Hecate quickly turned her eyes to the two women standing a few feet away. Gwen was merely watching the confrontation with something alighting to satisfaction, while Dimity had her mouth covered by her hand, a frown forming between her brows as she stared. When she looked towards Algernon, she saw the man sharing an expression similar to his wife, although his bore a layer of hesitation. 

However, her focus was quickly snapped back to the situation at hand when a sudden whack echoed through the room. As she swirled around, she saw Agatha still holding her ground, one of her feet lifted up in the air.

 _Had this woman been childish enough to actually_ **_stomp_ ** _her bloody foot?_

“The castle belongs to _me!_ By _birthright,_ and you know that, Ada! So why the endless facade, the insistent refusal to _hear me out_ -” 

Ada’s voice was climbing to similar heights with her sister’s. “Had you paid even slightly more mind in the past, you’d understand why things turned out the way they did! It is hardly your place to march in here now, trying to claim a legacy you weren’t the least bit interested in when things went south!”

“Things _wouldn’t_ have ‘gone south’ if you’d let me step in -”

“You weren’t merely stepping in, you were _pushing me out!”_

Something at the corner of Hecate’s eyes caught her attention. A small movement, barely visible to the naked eye, had transpired on her left. Carefully, she stepped away from Ada, towards the outer rock wall. Behind her, the fight went on.

“Playing the victim for a change, huh? Not surprising, although still disappointing! I’d have thought you’'d have picked up at least a _few_ new tricks since our childhood!”

“ _I’m_ playing the victim? As I recall it, you were the one to revel around the world whenever you damn pleased, not giving us a second’s thought! And whenever you _did_ grace us with your present, it was always with teary eyes and false regrets!“ Ada shouted, her cheeks flushing with anger.

Agatha huffed and waved the comment away. “Wouldn’t expect you to understand. You spend all of your sorry days here, playing _house_ with a withered old hag -”

_“ENOUGH!”_

The wall cracked just as Hecate took a startled step back. Pieces of ancient stone fell onto the floorboards, alongside of dried out cement and something resembling red sand. For a moment, it seemed as though the whole wall would give out, crumble under the pressure. A cleft, almost a meter wide, ran from the bottom up to the roof bars, fracturing the stone in its wake.

More red sand bled out, bursting from the seams of the rocks.

Hecate’s eyes widened with realization.

“Ada!” she cried out, spinning on her heels to face the room. “The school!”

Her panic only grew when she saw Ada’s gaze remaining fixed upon Agatha. Her stance was the only thing shifting as she moved closer to her twin, who in turn backpedaled in surprise. 

“ _Silence!_ I’ve had my fill with you, sister mine! Who’d have thought, after all this time, that I finally just might’ve had _ENOUGH!_ I most certainly did _not!”_

The crack snaked its way further up. With a desperate note, Hecate called out again. “ _Ada!_ The academy, the building -”

“After years of sisterhood, nothing should be able to sever such a link! _Nothing_ should be able break it!” 

Hecate felt her blood turn cold as she watched Agatha back up more, the crack grow, and Ada’s flaring pink magic mix with the redness bursting in from the walls.

For the first time in her life, she found herself being _afraid of Ada._

“You know what, Agatha? I think I shall break it _right here and now!”_

_“ADA!”_

Hecate, never more terrified in her life, had managed to summon up enough control to raise her voice to carry over the chaos. Ada’s hand, half-raised to a spell, froze in the air as she turned her head towards the horrified sound of her lover. As their eyes met, Hecate gestured wildly to the wall, to the haunting breach, her eyes pleading. “The _school_ , Ada! The magic...”

It was painful, to witness the pain flashing on her love’s face when the realization dawned upon her.

And just as fast as it had began, it stopped. The crack, the bleeding sand, it all halted on its tracks. The glow forming around Ada’s fingers was the one to remain, barely fading in pace with her racing heartbeat as she lowered her arms. It took a moment for all of them to notice Agatha’s absence. Traces of translocation spell laid dormant in the air, their orange shade being overshadowed by the glimmers of red and pink.

The awkward atmosphere wouldn’t lift for what felt like an eternity. By the fire, Dimity had fallen back against the wall, both hands now covering her mouth, her eyes wide and unblinking. Algernon, stunned to silence, couldn’t seemingly stop his own fingers from curling and uncurling time and time again.

Finally, before anyone else could speak out, Gwen jumped to her feet, face pale but with a determined, steady look. Loudly, she clapped her hands together. “Well everyone, we should probably go and make sure Agatha found her way out.” Crooking an eyebrow, she throw a quick glare over the rim of her glasses towards the two other teachers. “Shouldn’t we?”

The group made their way silently out of the door, and Hecate suddenly came to realise that she was growing more and more grateful of Gwen Bat as the years went by. Once the door had slipped back shut, she turned to look at the shaking woman standing barely an arm’s length away. The cracks on the wall were no longer any concern of hers. It had stopped. 

_Ada_ had stopped.

Slowly, Hecate reached her hand out. “Love...” 

“Don’t, Hecate. I... Not now, please.” There was a shaky gasp. Hecate could see how Ada slumped inwards, swaying slightly on her feet. “Not right now.”

The red grains had remained in air, coursing down along the wall, and pooling by the baseboards. They were beginning to lose their intensity, the shade of them turning back to calming pink, little by little. Hecate suspected they’d be gone in a moment, vanishing with the power of their caster.

“If not _now,_ then _when,_ Ada?” Hecate took another step forward. “After such a long time, I believe it would be _now_ or _never._ ” With that, she moved to cross the final few feet, coming to a stop just behind Ada’s shoulder. Back to where she had been at the start of the whole scene. 

Without saying anything further, she simply leaned in. Pressed her front tightly against Ada’s heaving body, and wrapped her arms around the convulsing waist, keeping her love upwards as her body rocked through the emotions and waves of pain. It most likely lasted mere minutes, no longer than a quarter. But it might just as well have been an hour, and by the time Ada’s settled enough for them to collapse into a nearby armchair, Hecate found her own body trembling with adrenaline. 

“It was justified. A bit too drastic, but perfectly justified.”

Her words, spoken with a gentle, hushed tone, made Ada’s shoulders jerk again. “How could you possible believe so, after I nearly -”

“But you _didn’t_. You regained the control. _That_ , Ada, is the true difference between you and your sister. And the reason why it has to be _you_.” 

The sobs came as expected. Hecate merely secured her hold against them. 

“She is right, despite it all! Our birth order -”

“ - is no longer a valid point, as Agatha has proved far too many times over the years.”

Heavy silence fell upon them, closing the whole room off from the rest of the world. Through the window, Hecate could see the sun slipping down below the horizon. The sky was turning in dark blue, first signs of stars beginning to appear to reclaim their place from the sun. 

In the stillness of the evening, she felt her lover slowly melt in her arms, her body sinking deeper into her own. The blue eyes had fallen shut, remnants of pink sand landing on the shuddering eyelids.

Just before Hecate allowed her own mind to unwind, quietly spoken words broke through the haze, holding her conscious for a moment longer.

“Thank you, Hecate.”

A heartfelt kiss was softly planted on top of the blond curls.

“Anytime, Ada.”


End file.
